UPDATE: Is Bernie Madoff Dying of Cancer?

SECOND UPDATE The Bureau of Prisons on Monday afternoon released the following statement on Bernie Madoff’s condition:

While the NY Post story is full of inaccuracies, and we can’t specifically address all of them, we can tell you that Bernie Madoff is not terminally ill, and has not been diagnosed with cancer.

FIRST UPDATE: We wrote the below post earlier today, under the headline “Bernie Madoff is Dying of Cancer.” Since then, the Bureau of Prisons has issued a vague statement saying “the article in the New York Post is inaccurate,” though the Bureau has not indicated what about the Post article is inaccurate. We checked back in with our source, who reiterated that Madoff does, in fact, have a “serious” form of cancer, though the source could not confirm that it was life threatening. Of course, we’ll let you know what we get as the story unfolds.

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The original post:

The New York Post broke the news this morning: jailed Ponzi-schemer Bernie Madoff is dying of cancer. The Wall Street Journal this morning confirmed the news a with source familiar with the situation. Still unclear: what type of cancer Madoff has.

According to the Post, quoting an inmate at the federal prison in Butner, N.C. in which Madoff is serving his time, Madoff is taking about 20 pills a day for his cancer. “He talks about it all the time,” said the inmate. “He’s not doing very well.”

A handful of questions yet to be answered: Why didn’t Madoff report this to Judge Denny Chin prior to sentencing? Often, judges will reduce sentences — or even give deferred prosecution agreements — if a defendant is seriously ill. (Of course, maybe Madoff and his lawyer, Ike Sorkin, figured there was no chance of his getting a reduction that would make a difference, given his life expectancy.)